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Metric system
calibrated in centimeters, a thermometer calibrated in degrees Celsius and a kilogram weight are for domestic use while the fourth, an electrical multimeter which measures volts, amps and ohms, is for normal use by tradesmen.]] The metric system is an international decimalized system of measurement that was originally based on the mètre des archives and the kilogramme des archives introduced by France in 1799. Over the years the definitions of the meter and kilogram have been refined and the metric system extended to incorporate many more units. Although a number of variants of the metric system emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the term is now often used as a synonym for the "International System of Units" - the official system of measurement in almost every country in the world. The United States is the only industrialized country that does not use the metric system as its official system of measurement, although the metric system has been officially sanctioned for use there since 1866. Although the United Kingdom committed to officially adopting the metric system for many measurement applications, it is still not in universal use there and the customary imperial system is still in common and widespread use. Although the originators intended to devise a system that was equally accessible to all, it proved necessary to use prototype units under the custody of government or other approved authorities as standards. Until 1875, control of the prototype units of measure was maintained by the French Government when it passed to an inter-governmental organisation – the (CGPM). It is now hoped that the last of these prototypes can be retired by 2014. From its beginning, the main feature of the metric system was the standard set of inter-related base units and a standard set of prefixes in powers of ten. These base units are used to derive larger and smaller units and replaced a huge number of unstandardized units of measure that existed previously. While the system was first developed for commercial use, its coherent set of units made it particularly suitable for scientific and engineering purposes. The uncoordinated use of the metric system by different scientific and engineering disciplines, particularly in the late 19th century, resulted in different choices of fundamental units, even though all were based on the same definitions of the meter and the kilogram. During the 20th century, efforts were made to rationalize these units and in 1960 the CGPM published the International System of Units ("Système international d'unités" in French, hence "SI") which, since then, has been the internationally recognized standard metric system. Features Although the metric system has changed and developed since its inception, its basic features have remained constant. Universality sign in eastern Beijing. Although the primary text is in Chinese, the distances use internationally recognized characters.]] The metric system was, in the words of the French philosopher Condorcet to be "for all people for all time".Alder - Prologue, p 1 It was designed for ordinary people, for engineers who worked in human-related measurements and for astronomers and physicists who worked with numbers both small and large, hence the huge range of prefixes that have now been defined in SI.SI Brochure - §3.1 SI prefixes - p 103 The metric system was designed to be universal, that is, available to all. When the French Government first investigated the idea of overhauling their system of measurement, Talleyrand, in the late 1780s, acting on Concordet's advice, invited Riggs, a British Parliamentarian and Jefferson, the American Secretary of State to George Washington, to work with the French in producing an international standard by promoting legislation in their respective legislative bodies. However, these overtures failed and the custody of the metric system remained in the hands of the French Government until 1875.Alder; page 92 To help make it universal, common unit symbols that are independent of language were developed. Thus the length unit symbol "km" is used in French and in British English for "kilometre", in German, Danish and in American English for "kilometer", in Spanish for "kilómetro", in Portuguese for "quilómetro", in Italian for "chilometro", in Greek for "χιλιόμετρα", in Russian for "Километр", in Urdu for "کلومیٹر" and so on. (BIPM) on behalf of the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology | year = 2008 | url = http://www.bipm.org/utils/common/documents/jcgm/JCGM_200_2008.pdf | title = International vocabulary of metrology — Basic and general concepts and associated terms (VIM) | edition = 3rd |accessdate = 2011-03-05 | page = 9}} Decimal multiples The metric system is decimal, except where the non-SI units for time and plane angle measurement are concerned. All multiples and divisions of the decimal units are factors of the power of ten, an idea first proposed by the Flemish mathematician Simon Stevin in 1586. Decimal prefixes are a characteristic of the metric system; the use of base 10 arithmetic aids in unit conversion. Differences in expressing units are simply a matter of shifting the decimal point or changing an exponent; for example, the speed of light may be expressed as km/s or . The use of decimal multiples results in less convenient non-integer quantities for divisions commonly used, such as by 3, 6 and 12. Prefixes A common set of decimal-based prefixes is applied to some units which are too large or too small for practical use without adjustment. The effect of the prefixes is to multiply or divide the unit by a factor of ten, one hundred or an integer power of one thousand. (This idea was first suggested by Mouton in 1670.) The prefix kilo, for example, is used to multiply the unit by 1000, and the prefix milli is to indicate a one-thousandth part of the unit. Thus the kilogram and kilometer are a thousand grams and meters respectively, and a milligram and millimeter are one thousandth of a gram and meter respectively. These relations can be written symbolically as:SI Brochure pg 121 - 122 :1 mg = 0.001 g :1 km = 1000 m When applying prefixes to derived units of area and volume that are expressed in terms of units of length squared or cubed, the square and cube operators are applied to the unit of length including the prefix, as illustrated here: :1 mm2 (square millimeter) = (1 mm)2 = (0.001 m)2 = :1 km2 (square kilometer) = (1 km)2 = (1000 m)2 = :1 mm3 (cubic millimeter) = (1 mm)3 = (0.001 m)3 = :1 km3 (cubic kilometer) = (1 km)3 = (1000 m)3 = Prefixes are not usually used to indicate multiples of a second greater than 1; the non-SI units of minute, hour and day are used instead. On the other hand, prefixes are used for multiples of the non-SI unit of volume, the liter (l, L), or the stere (cubic meter). Examples: :1 mL = 0.001 L :1 kL = 1000 L Initially positive powers of ten had Greek-derived prefixes and negative power of ten Latin-derived prefixes. The most familiar prefixes in everyday use are kilo-'' and ''mega-'', which are of Greek origin, and ''centi-'' and ''milli-'', which are of Latin origin. However, later SI extensions to the prefix system did not follow the Latin-less-than-one convention; instead, such prefixes (''nano-'' and ''micro-'', for example) use prefixes with Greek roots. During the 19th century the prefix ''myria-'', derived from the Greek word μύριοι (''mýrioi), was used as a multiplier for 10,000 (104). Replicable prototypes The initial way to establish a standard was to make prototypes of the base units and distribute copies to approved centers. This made the new standard reliant on the original prototypes, which would be in conflict with the previous goal, since all countries would have to refer to the one holding the prototypes. Instead, where possible, definitions of the base units were developed so that any laboratory equipped with proper instruments would be able to construct their own copies of the standard. In the original version of the metric system the base units could be derived from a specified length (the meter) and the weight mass of a specified volume ( of a cubic meter) of pure water. Initially the Assemblée Constituante considered defining the meter as the length of a pendulum that has a period of one second at 45°N and an altitude equal to sea level. The altitude and latitude were specified to accommodate variations in gravity – the specified latitude was a compromise between the latitude of , and the median parallel of the United States (38°N) to accommodate variations.Alder, p93-95 However Borda persuaded the Assemblée Constituante that a survey having its ends at sea level and based on a meridian that spanned at least 10% of the earth's quadrant would be more appropriate for such a basis.Alder, p96 Realizability The base units used in the metric system must be realizable, ideally with reference to natural phenomena rather than unique artifacts. Each of the base units in SI is accompanied by a mise en pratique published by the BIPM that describes in detail at least one way in which the base unit can be measured. Two of the base units originally depended on artifacts – the meter and the kilogram. The original prototypes of each artifact were adopted in 1799 and replaced in 1889. The 1889 prototypes used the best technology of the day to ensure stability. In 1889 there was no generally accepted theory regarding the nature of light but by 1960 the wavelength of specific light spectra could give a more accurate and reproducible value than a prototype meter. In that year the prototype meter was replaced by a formal definition which defines the meter in terms of the wavelength of specified light spectra. By 1983 it was accepted that the speed of light was constant and that this provided a more reproducible procedure for measuring length, the meter was redefined in terms of the speed of light. These definitions give a much better reproducibility and also allow anyone, anywhere to make their own "standard" meter (assuming that they have a good enough laboratory). Similarly, at the 13th convocation of the GCPM in 1968, the definitive second was redefined in terms of measurements taken from atomic clocks rather than from the earth's rotation;SI Brochure - Appendix 1 - p 120 in 2008 the solar day was 0.002 s longer than in 1820 but it was only in the 1960s that this could be measured more accurately using clocks rather than relying on astronomy. Coherence Each variant of the metric system has a degree of coherence – the various derived units being directly related to the base units without the need of intermediate conversion factors. (BIPM) on behalf of the Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology | year = 2008 | url = http://www.bipm.org/utils/common/documents/jcgm/JCGM_200_2008.pdf | title = International vocabulary of metrology — Basic and general concepts and associated terms (VIM) | edition = 3rd | at = 1.12 |accessdate = 2012-04-12 | page = 7}} For example, in a coherent system the units of force, energy and power are chosen so that the equations :force = mass × acceleration :energy = force × distance :energy = power × time hold without the introduction of constant factors. Once a set of coherent units have been defined, other relationships in physics that use those units will automatically be true - Einstein's mass-energy equation, E'' = ''mc''2, does not require extraneous constants when expressed in coherent units. The cgs system had two units of energy, the erg that was related to mechanics and the calorie that was related to thermal energy so only one of them (the erg) could bear a coherent relationship to the base units. Coherence was a design aim of SI resulting in only one unit of energy being defined - the joule.SI brochure - §1.2 Two classes of SI Units - p92 In SI, which is a coherent system, the unit of power is the "watt" which is defined as "one joule per second".SI Brochure, Table 4,pg 118 In the foot-pound-second system of measurement, which is non-coherent, the unit of power is the "horsepower" which is defined as "550 foot-pounds per second", the pound in this context being the pound-force. The concept of coherence was only introduced into the metric system in the third quarter of the nineteenth century; in its original form the metric system was non-coherent - in particular the liter was 0.001 m3 and the are (from which we get the hectare) was 100 m2. History :''Main article: History of the metric system. See also: Metrication. In 1586, the Flemish mathematician Simon Stevin published a small pamphlet called De Thiende ("the tenth"). Decimal fractions had been employed for the extraction of square roots some five centuries before his time, but nobody used decimal numbers in daily life. Stevin declared that using decimals was so important that the universal introduction of decimal weights, measures and coinage was only a matter of time. The idea of a metric system was proposed by John Wilkins, first secretary of the Royal Society of London in 1668.An Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Language (Reproduction)An Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Language (Transcription)Metric system 'was British' - from the BBC video news Two years later, in 1670, Gabriel Mouton, a French abbot and scientist, proposed a decimal system of measurement based on the circumference of the Earth. His suggestion was that a unit, the milliare, be defined as a minute of arc along a meridian. He then suggested a system of sub-units, dividing successively by factors of ten into the centuria, decuria, virga, virgula, decima, centesima, and millesima. His ideas attracted interest at the time, and were supported by both Jean Picard and Christiaan Huygens in 1673, and also studied at the Royal Society in London. In the same year, Gottfried Leibniz independently made proposals similar to those of Mouton. In pre-revolutionary Europe, each state had its own system of units of measure. Some countries, such as Spain and Russia, saw the advantages of harmonising their units of measure with those of their trading partners. However, vested interests who profited from variations in units of measure opposed this. This was particularly prevalent in France where there was a huge inconsistency in the size of units of measure. During the early years of the French Revolution, the leaders of the French revolutionary Assemblée Constituante decided that rather than standardising the size of the existing units, they would a introduce a completely new system based on the principles of logic and natural phenomena. Initially France attempted to work with other countries towards the adoption of a common set of units of measure. Among the supporters of such an international system of units was who, in 1790, presented a document Plan for Establishing Uniformity in the Coinage, Weights, and Measures of the United States to congress in which he advocated a decimal system that used traditional names for units (such as ten inches per foot). The report was considered but not adopted by Congress. There was little support from other countries. Original system The law of 18 Germinal, Year III (7 April 1795) defined five units of measure: *The mètre (meter) for length *The are (100 m2) for area land *The stère (1 m3) for volume of stacked firewood *The litre (liter) (1 dm3) for volumes of liquid *The gram for mass. This system continued the tradition of having separate base units for geometrically related dimensions, e.g., meter for lengths, are (100 m2) for areas, stère (1 m3) for dry capacities, and liter (1 dm3) for liquid capacities. The hectare, equal to a hundred ares, is the area of a square 100 meters on a side (about 2.47 acres), and is still in use. The early metric system included only a few prefixes from milli (one thousandth) to myria (ten thousand), and they were based on powers of 10 unlike later prefixes added in the SI, which are based on powers of 1,000. Originally the kilogram was called the "grave"; the "gram" being an alternative name for a thousandth of a grave. However, the word "grave", being a synonym for the title "count" had aristocratic connotations and was renamed the kilogram. France officially adopted the metric system on 10 December 1799 with conversion being mandatory first in Paris and then across the provinces. International adoption The areas that were annexed by France during the Napoleonic era inherited the metric system. In 1812, Napoleon introduced a system known as mesures usuelles which used the names of pre-metric units of measure, but defined them in terms of metric units – for example, the livre metrique (metric pound) was 500 g and the toise metrique (metric fathom) was 2 meters. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, France lost the territories that she had annexed; some, such as the Papal States reverted to their pre-revolutionary units of measure, others such as Baden adopted a modified version of the mesures usuelles, but France kept her system of measurement intact. In 1817, the Netherlands reintroduced the metric system, but used pre-revolutionary names – for example 1 cm became the duim (thumb), the ons (ounce) became 100 g and so on. Certain German states adopted similar systems and in 1852 the German Zollverein (customs union) adopted the zollpfund (customs pound) of 500 g for intrastate commerce. In 1872 the newly formed German Empire adopted the metric system as its official system of weights and measures and the newly formed Kingdom of Italy likewise, following the lead given by Piedmont, adopted the metric system in 1861. The Exposition Universelle (1867) (Paris exhibition) devoted a stand to the metric system and by 1875 two thirds of the European population and close on half the world's population had adopted the metric system. The principal European countries not to have adopted the metric system were Russia and the United Kingdom. The first attempt to have the US adopt the metric system was in the late 1920s by The General Federation of Women's Clubs for the US to adopt the metric system sending 100,000 petitions to Congress in 1927 with over seven million signatures. This first effort as with all future efforts failed as the old system had too much tradition behind it."Metric Measure in U.S. Asked." Popular Science Monthly, January 1928, p. 53. International standards In 1861, a committee of the including William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin), James Clerk Maxwell and James Prescott Joule introduced the concept of a coherent system of units based on the meter, gram and second which, in 1873, was extended to include electrical units. On 20 May 1875 an international treaty known as the Convention du Mètre (meter Convention) (BIPM) |postscript = 1875 text plus 1907 and 1921 amendments |accessdate = 2011-03-22}} was signed by 17 states. This treaty established the following organisations to conduct international activities relating to a uniform system for measurements: (BIPM) |accessdate = 2011-03-22}} :* (CGPM), an intergovernmental conference of official delegates of member nations and the supreme authority for all actions; :* (CIPM), consisting of selected scientists and metrologists, which prepares and executes the decisions of the CGPM and is responsible for the supervision of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; :* (BIPM), a permanent laboratory and world centre of scientific metrology, the activities of which include the establishment of the basic standards and scales of the principal physical quantities and maintenance of the international prototype standards. In 1881, first International Electrical Congress adopted the BAAS recommendations on electrical units, followed by a series of congresses in which further units of measure were defined. Variants A number of variants of the metric system evolved, all using the Mètre des Archives and Kilogramme des Archives as their base units, but differing in the definitions of the various derived units. |} Centimeter-gram-second systems The centimeter-gram-second system of units (CGS) was the first coherent metric system, having been developed in the 1860s and promoted by Maxwell and Thomson. In 1874 this system was formally promoted by the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS).SI Brochure - §1.1 Historical Note - p 91 The system's characteristics are that density is expressed in , force expressed in dynes and mechanical energy in ergs. Thermal energy was defined in calories, one calorie being the energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water from 15.5 °C to 16.5 °C. The meeting also proposed two sets of units for electrical and magnetic properties - the electrostatic set of units and the electromagnetic set of units. meter-kilogram-second systems The cgs units of electricity were cumbersome to work with. This was remedied at the 1893 International Electrical Congress held in Chicago by defining the "international" ampere and ohm using definitions based on the meter, kilogram and second. In 1901, Giorgi showed that by adding an electrical unit as a fourth base unit, the various anomalies in electromagnetic systems could be resolved. The meter-kilogram-second-coulomb (MKSC) and meter-kilogram-second-ampere (MKSA) systems are examples of such systems. |accessdate = 2011-04-05}} The International System of Units (System international units or SI) is the current international standard metric system and the system most widely used around the world. It is an extension of Giorgi's MKSA system; its base units are the meter, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, candela and mole. Proposals have been made to change the definitions of four of the base units at the 24th meeting of the in October 2011. These changes should not affect the average person. meter-tonne-second systems The meter-tonne-second system of units (MTS) was based on the meter, tonne and second - the unit of force is the sthène and the unit of pressure is the pièze. It was invented in France in industry and was mostly used in the Soviet Union from 1933 to 1955. Gravitational systems Gravitational metric systems use the kilogram-force (kilopond) as a base unit of force, with mass measured in a unit known as the hyl, TME, mug or metric slug. Note these are not part of the International System of Units (SI). International System of Units The 9th CGPM met in 1948, fifteen years after the 8th CGPM. In response to formal requests made by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and by the French Government to establish a practical system of units of measure, the CGPM requested the CIPM to prepare recommendations for a single practical system of units of measurement, suitable for adoption by all countries adhering to the meter Convention. At the same time the CGPM formally adopted a recommendation for the writing and printing of unit symbols and of numbers. The recommendation also catalogued the recommended symbols for the most important MKS and CGS units of measure and for the first time the CGPM made recommendations concerning derived units. The CIPM's draft proposal, which was an extensive revision and simplification of the metric unit definitions, symbols and terminology based on the MKS system of units, was put to the 10th CGPM in 1954. In accordance with Giorgi's proposals of 1901, the CIPM also recommended that the ampere be the base unit from which electromechanical would be derived. The definitions for the ohm and volt that had previously been in use were discarded and these units became derived units based on the meter, ampere, second and kilogram. After negotiations with the CIS and IUPAP, two further base units, the degree kelvin and the candela were also proposed as base units. The full system and name "Système International d'Unités" were adopted at the 11th CGPM. During the years that followed the definitions of the base units and particularly the mise en pratique to realise these definitions have been refined. The formal definition of International System of Units (SI) along with the associated resolutions passed by the CGPM and the CIPM are published by the BIPM on the Internet and in brochure form at regular intervals. The eighth edition of the brochure Le Système International d'Unités - The International System of Units was published in 2006. Units outside the SI Although SI, as published by the GCPM, should, in theory, meet all the requirements of commerce, science and technology, certain units of measure have acquired such a position within the world community that it is likely they will be used for many years to come. In order that such units be used consistently around the world, the SI Brochure, the GCPM catalogued such units in the SI brochure. The 8th edition of the brochure catalogued the following categories: * Non-SI units accepted for use with the International System of Units (Table 6). This list includes the hour and minute, the angular measures (degree, minute and second of arc) and the historic non-coherent metric units, the liter, tonne and hectare (originally agreed by the GCPM in 1879) *'Non-SI units whose values in SI units must be obtained experimentally (Table 7)'. This list includes various units of measure used in atomic and nuclear physics and in astronomy such as the Dalton, the electron mass, the electron volt, the [unit and a number of other units of measure that are either too large or too small to be described using SI and whose units of measure are well-established. *'Other non-SI units (Table 8)'. This list catalogues a number of units of measure that have been used internationally in certain well-defined spheres including the bar for pressure, the ångström for atomic physics, the nautical mile and the knot in navigation. *'Non-SI units associated with the CGS and the CGS-Gaussian system of units (Table 9)'. This table catalogues a number of units of measure based on the cgs system and dating from the nineteenth century. They appear frequently in the literature, but their continued use is discouraged by the GCPM. "New SI" When the meter was redefined in 1960, the kilogram was the only SI base unit that relied on a specific artifact. Moreover, after the 1996-1998 recalibration a clear divergence between the various prototype kilograms was observed. At its 23rd meeting (2007), the CGPM mandated the CIPM to investigate the use of natural constants as the basis for all units of measure rather than the artifacts that were then in use. At a meeting of the CCU held in Reading, United Kingdom in September 2010, a resolution and draft changes to the SI brochure that were to be presented to the next meeting of the CIPM in October 2010 were agreed to in principle. The proposals that the CCU put forward were: :*In addition to the speed of light, four constants of nature - Planck's constant, an elementary charge, Boltzmann constant and Avogadro's number be defined to have exact values. :*The international prototype kilogram be retired :*The current definitions of the kilogram, ampere, kelvin and mole be revised. :*The wording of the definitions of all the base units be tightened up The CIPM meeting of October 2010 found that "the conditions set by the General Conference at its 23rd meeting have not yet been fully met. For this reason the CIPM does not propose a revision of the SI at the present time". (BIPM) |accessdate = 2011-02-20}} The CIPM did however sponsor a resolution at the 24th CGPM in which the changes were agreed in principal and which were expected to be finalized at the CGPM's next meeting in 2014. Usage around the world The usage of the metric system varies around the world. According to the American Central Intelligence Agency's Factbook, the International System of Units is the official system of measurement for all nations in the world except for , and the |accessdate = 8 August 2006 |url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/appendix/appendix-g.html Appendix G}} while has noted that the United States as the only country where the metric system is not the offical system of units. }} Some sources, though, suggest that this information is out of date: an Agence France-Presse of 2010 noted that Sierra Leone was to adopt the metric system, thereby aligning her system of measurement with her Mano River Union (MRU) neighbours Guinea and Liberia and reports from Burma suggest that that country is planning to adopt the metric system In the United States, where the use of metric units was authorized by Congress in 1866, }} such units are widely used in science, military, and partially in industry, but customary units predominate in household use.Alder pg 361-366 At retail stores, the liter is a commonly used unit for volume, especially on bottles of beverages, and milligrams are used to denominate the amounts of medications, rather than grains. Also, other standardized measuring systems other than metric are still in universal international use, such as nautical miles and knots in international aviation. In the countries of the Commonwealth of Nations the metric system has replaced the imperial system by varing degrees: Australia, New Zealand and Commonwealth countries in Africa are almost totally metric, India is mostly metric, Canada is partly metric while in the United Kingdom the metric system, the use of which was first permitted for trade in 1864, is used in much government business, in most industries including building, health and engineering and for pricing by measure or weight in most trading situations, both wholesale and retail. However the imperial system is often used by journalists and continues to be used in many unregulated applications. A number of other jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, have laws mandating or permitting other systems of measurement in parallel with the metric system in some or all contexts. Variations in spelling The SI symbols for the metric units are intended to be identical, regardless of the language used.SI Brochure - pg 130 For example, the SI unit symbol for kilometer is "km" everywhere in the world, even though the local language word for the unit name may vary. Language variants for the kilometer unit name include: chilometro (Italian), Kilometer (German), kilometer (Dutch, Malay), kilomètre (French), χιλιόμετρο (Greek), quilómetro (Portuguese) and Километър (Bulgarian). Variations are also found with the spelling of unit names in countries using the same language, including differences in American English and British spelling. For example meter and liter are used in the United States whereas metre and litre are used in other English-speaking countries. In addition, the official US spelling for the rarely used SI prefix for ten is deka. In American English the term metric ton is the normal usage whereas in other varieties of English tonne is common. Gram is also sometimes spelled gramme in English-speaking countries other than the United States, though this older usage is declining. Conversion and calculation errors The dual usage of metric and non metric units has resulted in serious errors. These include: * The degree of overloading of an American International Airways aircraft flying from Miami to Maiquetia, Venezuela on 26 May 1994 was consistent with a cargo weighed in kilograms, not pounds. |accessdate = 3 August 2008}} * The has reported that confusion between grains and grams led to a patient receiving 0.5 grams instead of 0.5 grains (0.03 grams) after the practitioner misread the prescription.[http://www.ismp.org/Newsletters/acutecare/articles/A3Q99Action.asp ISMP Medication Safety Alert], (April–June 1999), Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Retrieved 3 August 2008. * The Canadian " " accident in 1983, when a jet ran out of fuel in mid-flight because of two mistakes in calculating the fuel supply of 's first aircraft to use metric measurements. * The root cause of 's 1999 loss of the $125 million which crashed into Mars was a mismatch of units - the spacecraft engineers calculated the thrust forces required for velocity changes using US customary units (lbf·s) whereas the team who built the thrusters were expecting a value in metric units (N·s) as per the agreed specification. |accessdate=2011-08-25}} Conversion between SI and legacy units During its evolution, the metric system has adopted many units of measure. The introduction of SI rationalized both the way in which units of measure were defined and also the list of units in use. These are now catalogued in the official SI Brochure.SI brochure - §2 SI Units - p 94-102 The table below lists the units of measure in this catalogue and shows the conversion factors connecting them with the equivalent units that were in use on the eve of the adoption of SI. The SI brouchure also catalogues certain non-SI units that are widely used with the SI in matters of everyday life or units that are exactly defined values in terms of SI units and are used in particular circumstances to satisfy the needs of commercial, legal, or specialized scientific interests. These units include: See also *Conversion of units *History of measurement *ISO/IEC 80000, style manual for measurements metric and non metric, superseding ISO 31 *Metrication, the process of introducing the SI metric system as the worldwide standard for physical measurements *Metrology *IEC Binary Prefixes, used in computer science *Units of measurement References *Alder *Brochure External links *CBC Radio Archives For Good Measure: Canada Converts to Metric Category:Systems of units